The notwithstanding clause could be invoked by the Quebec Liberal Party “if necessary,” said Leader Charles Milliard, without specifying whether he would support renewing the clause to protect the language law known as Bill 96. After arriving at the Quebec National Assembly building ahead of the Quebec Liberal Party’s pre-session caucus on Wednesday, the opposition leader was asked whether he intended to vote in favour of a bill to renew the notwithstanding clause for Bill 96. “The notwithstanding clause can be used by the Quebec Liberal Party if necessary. We won’t hesitate to do so, but I want to know what the Parti Québécois is really capable of when it comes to protecting the French language in this legislative session,” Milliard said. Speaking in English, the Liberal leader said that the Parti Québécois was trying to throw him “a curveball, because it feels it’s losing the game due to all its improvisation.” A ‘curveball’ thrown by Pascal Bérubé Earlier, the Minister of the French Language, Pascal Bérubé, had indicated that his party intended to renew the notwithstanding clause to protect Bill 96 and was therefore asking the opposition parties to take a stand on the issue. “You either vote in favour or you vote against. There is no middle ground, and there is only one official language: French. So here’s a test for Mr. Milliard. Does the Liberal Party want to protect Bill 96 and Bill 101, or not? It’s yes or no. And this is a test,” the PQ member had stated. “There’s no ‘yes’ or ‘no’ on a hallway discussion that Mr. Bérubé decided to put on the agenda,’ the PLQ leader replied. The reform of Bill 101—commonly known as “Bill 96”—was passed by the National Assembly in May 2022. It subjects small- and medium-sized businesses with 25 to 49 employees and federally regulated businesses to the Charter of the French Language. The notwithstanding clause—a mechanism that shields a law from legal challenges and, in this case, protects Bill 96—must be renewed every five years, and thus in the coming months. Bill 96 is controversial in English-speaking circles, particularly because it imposes a freeze on enrollment in English-language CEGEPs and requires that public services be provided in French to immigrants who have been in Quebec for more than six months. Economy, health, education, and housing After answering questions from reporters in the lobby of the Quebec National Assembly, Milliard rejoined his 39 Liberal members of the National Assembly for the start of the party’s pre-session caucus, which runs through Friday. “Here, in this very room, we’re going to discuss the real priorities for Quebecers: the economy, health care, education, and housing.” This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Stéphane Blais, The Canadian Press
